"What the hell were you thinking?!" Parker yelled when she saw Daryl walk through the front gates. Michonne had returned with Rosita, enlightening her of Tara and Daryl's plan to take down the Saviors. It went against what Rick had planned and involved a truck crashing through the walls of the Sanctuary and allowing walkers into the bottom floor of the building.

"We need it to be over," Daryl responded, continuing past her. "Rick can't make all the decisions."

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" Parker followed after him. "There were innocent people in that building!"

"And we drove the truck around the other side of the building to give them a chance to escape!" Daryl yelled back, turning around to face her. "They're all dead or ran, Parker. We finished it."

"Or you just caused more problems for us to deal with later," Parker shot back, stopping in front of him. "God, you ruined everything! Rick is out there making a deal with the fucking.. what are they? The Garbage Pail kids- or whatever they're called- right now! A deal that has no power because our main point was the Saviors being trapped."

"I opened the damn place up," Daryl argued with her. "We show up and tell them to surrender. They will."

"You really think that is what's gonna happen?" She let her arms fall to her sides, expecting even him to be smarter than that. "Daryl, you created a pathway for them to get out! We had them surrounded." She explained to him, gesturing with her hands. "What the fuck do you think the walkers are gonna do? They flooded the bottom floor! They are no longer surrounding the damn building!"

"You ain't gotta like it," Daryl told her, shrugging his shoulders. "It only matters if we lose, and we won't." Parker shook her head with a scoff. 

"You better hope you didn't screw everything up," She ground out, walking off in the opposite direction. The group planned to leave for the Sanctuary that night. Parker was furious at Daryl for going off on his own and doing his own thing but decided that if this was the end of the Saviors, she wanted to be there. Before leaving, she looked for Carl to make sure he was good with the plan and found him standing by the sewer drain, putting the grate in place. "Carl," Parker said, catching his attention. "I've been looking for you. We're almost ready to leave. What are you doing?"

"I'm helping someone," Carl said, breathing heavily. "A traveler."

"In the sewer?" Parker raised an eyebrow at him. "What? Did you befriend a ninja turtle?" Carl sighed, fighting a smile, and was about to respond when a metallic sound echoed through the streets, followed by the screech of a microphone turning on.

"You may be wondering why the hell your lookouts didn't sound the alarm," A very familiar voice broke the peaceful silence of the night. "See, we are polite. I mean, I don't know when they're gonna wake up from that kinda shot, but they should wake up. So let's just cut through the cow shit- you lose. It's over. So you're gonna line up in front of your little houses, and you're gonna work up some apologies, and then the person with the lamest one is gonna get killed. Then I kill Rick in front of everybody, and we move on. You have three- count 'em! Three minutes to open this gate or we start bombing the shit out of you!"

"They escaped," Parker whispered, her eyes locked onto the front gate.

"Come on," Carl said, grabbing her hand as Negan's whistle echoed through the streets of Alexandria. She didn't move, her eyes wide as she looked around at all the people who stood by the gate. "Aunt Parker, come on!"

"Carl, what are you...?" Parker started to ask, looking back at him.

"You need to make it look like we're escaping out back," Carl explained to Rosita, who had run over once she had spotted them. "Get to the woods, halfway to the quarry, and cut the lights. Get enough of a lead on them, hit them, and get away on foot." Parker looked around and realized other people were behind her, listening to his plan. "You know where we'll be. Just have to get guns, get everyone else here, and we'll meet you there."

"Two minutes, people!" Negan shouted, his voice being even more obnoxious in the megaphone. "Dig deep! I want these apologies to be memorable. Bonus points for creativity. Work up a poem, sing a song, I love that shit!"

"Get going," Carl instructed. "There's gonna be people in the infirmary. They're gonna need your help." Negan continued his infamous whistling and Tara stepped forward, holding two rifles.

"Look, we got guns. We can fight."

"We wouldn't have needed to fight at all if you hadn't torn down the damn wall," Parker sent her a pissed look and Tara backed up a bit.

"We will," Rosita said back to Tara. "But not now. Carl's right."

"Carl, we can't just let them have this place," Michonne spoke up.

"We can," Carl nodded. "All we need to do is survive tonight. This is my show. You said it. This is my plan, and you're gonna do it. You're all gonna do it. So let's go!"

"One minute!" Negan shouted causing all heads to snap towards the gate in unison. "One.. minute!" Daryl reached for Parker's hand, as the others ran to do their part and she jerked it away.

"We need to go. Now," Carl insisted, and Parked put a hand on his arm.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" He nodded his head, confident in himself and his plan.

"Yes, Aunt Parker. Please trust me." 

"I trust you. This is your plan and I'm going to follow it." Parker kissed Carl's forehead and pushed his hat down over his eyes.

"Thank you," Carl whispered, pushing her gently as he fixed his hat. "Go help the people in the infirmary." She did as told, having faith in whatever it was that Carl was planning. Parker helped the patients from the infirmary down the ladder and into the sewers and when she saw Judith's nanny running towards her with the girl in her arms, Parker took her niece quickly.

"Hello, sweetie," Parker whispered as explosions echoed around her. "We're going to be okay, alright?" Judith didn't respond, but Parker knew she was listening. Then she looked at Tobin, who popped his head up from the hole in the street. "Is everyone down there okay?"

"Yeah," Tobin nodded, offering to take Judith.

"Whe- where's Carl?" Parker whispered, more to herself than anyone else. Her eyes roamed the burning buildings, hoping to spot him in the orange glow of the numerous burning fires.

"He'll be fine," Tobin assured her. "You have to come down here now. Everyone expects you to be there for them." Parker shook her head, still trying to find her nephew.

"I'm not a leader. I.. I'm not their leader."

"Well, you are now," Tobin reached up again, and this time Parker handed him Judith. "Whether you like it or not. Come on down. These people are scared." Parker sighed and climbed down the ladder, being careful not to miss any of the rungs so she didn't fall. Once down, she followed the flashlights and found the terrified residents of Alexandria and Judith half walked, half stumbled over to her.

"Parker!" A familiar yet, still unknown voice called her name. "Are we going to be okay?" 

"What's happening out there?"

"Why is Negan back? We were told the Sanctuary was surrounded!" Parker's eyes widened in surprise, but she swallowed the nerves and anxiety that came with having dozens of eyes on her and stood firm for the people who needed her. Placing Judith at her side, she took her niece's hand.

"We're going to be okay," Parker told her people. "I know what's happening now is scary, but we are stronger than this. I know many of you are scared and worried that we'll have nothing to go back to when this is all over. But what is up there is not our home. Without you, Alexandria would be just an empty town. You brought that place to life, and we can go out and do it all again when this is all over. I know we will because what we already endured- all of us- proves that we are stronger than we think. I know everyone is scared, believe me, so am I right now. But we will get through this. We have each other, and that's all that matters." The Alexandrians seemed to hear her, and some even gave her a small applause. Parker took Judith to the other end of the tunnel and sat her against the wall. She saw an unfamiliar face sitting on a cot and became instantly worried. "Who the hell are you?" Parker demanded, putting a hand on her gun. The man raised his hands in instant surrender.

"My name is Siddiq. Your nephew, Carl. He brought me here."

"Oh... so you're the traveler?" Parker asked. Siddiq nodded his head quickly.

"I'm not here to cause any trouble." He instantly told her, trying to stop any ideas that formed in her head about his intentions. "I was alone and he found me. He brought me here."

"Well, with everything that's going on, you're the least of my worries," Parker replied, offering him a smile. "But it's nice to meet you. If Carl sees something in you, then you must be a good person. I trust his judgment." Daryl, Rosita, and Tara joined them in the sewers not long after, and when Parker saw Daryl, she was on her feet in an instant, quickly walking towards him. Sure, she was still mad at him, but with everything that was going on and the thought of them dying that night, being on bad terms was something she couldn't stand. As she hugged him, she heard him sigh.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Parker said quietly. "But don't say that just because you think we're going to die tonight. We are not dying."

"I shouldn't have done it," Daryl shook his head. "I should have followed Rick's plan." 

"It's okay. We're all safe and that's all that matters." Behind Daryl, Parker saw Dwight standing sheepishly against the wall, trying to avoid being seen by her. Or anyone, really. Still, he didn't do a very good job, and Parker walked past Daryl and toward Dwight. He looked at her and then quickly looked back down at his feet.

"Please don't hit me again."

"Well, that was definitely the first thought that came to mind," Parker responded, holding out her hand. "But I'm not going to. Without you, this wouldn't have been possible. I mean, what's happening right now sucks less than working with you, but everything else helped us, so thank you." Dwight shook her hand.

"So you aren't going to hit me again?" He asked, glancing at her through the corner of his eyes.

"That depends," Parker tilted her head to the side. "I still think you're a worthless piece of shit... and we'll never be friends, but you've earned my respect. Don't do anything stupid and it might stay that way." Dwight scoffed but agreed nonetheless.

"I won't."

"Make yourself comfortable," Parker told him, harshly patting his shoulder. "It's going to be a long night." When she turned back to Daryl, Judith had forced herself to her feet.

"Uncle Daryl!" She exclaimed, jumping into Daryl's arms.

"Hey," Daryl greeted, lifting her up. "You alright?"

"Yes!" Judith laughed, squeezing Daryl's cheeks. Parker smiled as she and Daryl led Judith back to where they had been sitting. He sat against the wall with Judith on his lap, holding her as another explosion shook the ground beneath them. Judith snuggled into Daryl's arms and Parker's heart sank at the sight of them. She heard someone else arrive and turned to see who it was. She expected it to be Rick and Michonne, but instead, she saw Carl, and even from a distance, Parker knew something was wrong.

"Carl?" Parker asked, pushing herself up from off the dirty floor. "Carl, what's wrong?" His face was pale, an expression of pain contorted his features and a thin layer of sweat made his skin look translucent in the gloom. Parker managed to catch him when he stumbled, putting her arm around his back. "What's happening?" Parker asked, panic instantly overtaking any sense of calm she felt. "Did they hurt you?"

"I'm...fine," Carl whispered, his voice weak.

"Are you?" Parker questioned as she helped Carl sit against the wall. "Tell me what's wrong and don't lie to me, Carl Grimes. I know you too well." Carl's expression changed to one of sadness and guilt. As he looked at his aunt, he knew that what he was about to say would completely crush her, but he also knew that his time left was short and that if he didn't say goodbye now, his family would never have the closure they needed.

"Don't be mad," Carl whispered, looking up at her.

"M- mad? Why.. why would I be mad?" She asked, her eyes frantically searching his pale face. "I'm not going to be mad, just tell me what's going on," Parker replied. "Did they shoot you?"

"No," Carl shook his head. "It happened in the woods. I was helping Siddiq."

"Carl," Parker said quietly, trying to understand what he was telling her. "What...?" Carl lifted his shirt, revealing a bandage

"I'm sorry, Aunt Parker." He removed the bandage and revealed a bite underneath. For a few seconds, Parker didn't say anything. She couldn't process exactly what she was seeing, or maybe she just didn't want to. That bite was what made the entire world collapse around her because she knew that no matter what she did, she was going to lose her nephew. Eventually, she let out a quiet gasp.

"No..." Carl's eyes filled with tears upon seeing her reaction.

"It's okay, Aunt Parker. I'm okay."

"Parker? Carl?" A voice said from behind her, and she turned to see Rick and Michonne standing there, their eyes on Carl. Michonne fell to her knees next to him, shock written all over her face as the explosions continued in the distance.

"Dad," Carl said, a tired smile finding its way onto his face.

"I don't..?" Rick stuttered, looking at his hands. "H-how..?"

"Dad," Carl said again, his eye tracking his father as he knelt in front of him. "It's alright. It's gotta be. I wasn't sure if you'd make it back before..." He trailed off, not thinking any of them could handle the words he was about to say. "But just in case, you know..?" Carl pulled out a stack of letters. "I wanted to make sure I was able to say goodbye." He handed the letters to Parker, who carefully took the folded-up pieces of paper into her hands. Rick shook his head at the explosions from above.

"No. It's them. It's them. They- they don't.." Rick looked away, a few tears sliding down his face. "It wasn't.."

"Carl.. no.."

"I got bit," Carl nodded his head, having already accepted the fact when it had happened. "I was bringing someone back. His name's Siddiq. We saw him at that gas station before... It wasn't the Saviors. It just happened." Parker brushed his hair away from his face.

"Carl.. you're gonna- you'll be okay."

"I got bit.." Carl said again. Parker turned to Rick, nodding her head towards the further end of the tunnel.

"We have to move him." It took the three of them to move Carl as carefully as possible, laying him down on the cot. Parker knelt next to him and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Better?" Parker asked.

"Yeah," Carl answered quietly. "Thank you."

"I have... I, um.. I have these," Siddiq said, holding out some pills. "They're over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. They'll, um... they'll help a little with the fever. They did for my mom and dad. Please take them." His voice broke as he tried holding the pills out again. "Your son... he should have them."

"You're a doctor?" Rick asked over his shoulder, not wanting to look at him.

"I was a resident... before," Siddiq cleared his throat. "Yeah."

"Your name is Siddiq?"

"Yes," Rick looked back at Carl with a questioning stare.

"Did you know he was a doctor? Is that why you brought him back?"

"He wasn't gonna make it alone," Carl responded. "He needed us. That's why."

"He was the one at the gas station," Rick said, a wave of understanding washing over him. There was silence for a few seconds, and then another explosion caused the entire tunnel to shake violently. Dust and debris fell from the ceiling and Rick leaned over his son as Carl's body went into a coughing fit that made Parker's heart clench.

"Water! Get him water," Michonne demanded. A bottle was passed to Parker, who passed it to Rick. He gently lifted Carl's head and helped him take a few sips of water. Michonne stood up and approached Dwight, demanding that he stop the attack before Rosita came up with a contingency plan that involved taking them all to the Hilltop. Parker knew that Carl couldn't make the trip. She looked down at her nephew, keeping her hand over his.

"You're going to be fine."

"I'll see Mom again," Carl whispered. "And Shane, Dale, Beth..." Parker held back the sob that threatened to escape as she bit her lower lip and nodded her head.

"Yes... yes, you will."

"I'll tell them you miss them," Carl told her. Parker laughed, wiping away her tears. 

"Yeah, tell them that." The explosions continued and Carl flinched.

"I'm sorry."

"No," Parker whispered, shaking her head. "Don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for." Michonne went to sit next to Carl and Parker gave them their space, promising to return. She walked over to Daryl, who was holding Judith in his arms, and he held out an arm to his wife, letting her seek comfort in his embrace. Away from Carl, Parker could let her guard down, and she sobbed softly into Daryl's chest, feeling Judith play with her hair as she wrapped her arms around Daryl's waist, wishing this all turned out to be a bad dream. Parker looked at Daryl. "I can't believe I'm going to lose him." Daryl sighed, not knowing what to say,

"I'm sorry." Parker wiped her eyes.

"He was... he was supposed to live. He was supposed to beat this world." Daryl pulled her into his arms as she sobbed again, terrible, heartbreaking sobs coming from deep within her chest. She knew everyone in the tunnels could hear her, but she didn't care. It was no longer about being strong for them. It was about accepting the pain and dealing with it as it came.

"Sounds like they're lettin' up," Dwight said quietly, looking up through the grate.

"Looks like you were right," Rosita commented, not happy to give him credit. "They're leaving."

"Maybe," Daryl replied. He walked over to Rick and handed him Judith. "Want me to go take a look?"

"Be careful," Parker warned him while Daryl placed a hand on her shoulder. Parker sat down next to Carl again and brushed the hair that stuck to his face back. "Do you remember when you were seven years old and I accidentally gave you undercooked chicken?" Carl's laugh was weak, but still, the sound eased the pain in Parker's heart.

"Yeah. I threw up on your kitchen table. It ruined the rest of dinner."

"It was a pretty unpleasant dinner," Parker tilted her head in agreement with a smile. "You probably don't remember, but when you were four, there was a time when you wouldn't go to sleep unless you were near me. Your mom and dad hated it because I was always at the house, but you eventually got over it. You didn't need me anymore."

"I will always need you, Aunt Parker," Carl whispered hoarsely. "No matter what happens." More tears filled Parker's eyes.

"Pretty sure that sometimes it was the other way around." Daryl returned and Michonne's voice interrupted Parker and Carl.

"The Saviors are gone. We can get everyone to Hilltop. We can get Carl there."

"Carl? No," Rick shook his head as he looked down at his son, who had his eyes closed, a quiet wheeze accompanying every breath he took.

"Daryl can get one of the cars," Michonne offered up another suggestion.

"Carl won't make- he can't leave here. I have to stay with him," Rick muttered, not able to meet her gaze.

"Rick."

"He can't," Parker backed him up, looking up at the two. "We have to stay."

"We'll all stay," Michonne finalized when she realized there was no changing either of their minds. "The three of us."

"Will you..." He sighed, trying to fight his tears. "Will you take Judith?" Rick asked her. "She needs to be there. If she...if...happens.."

"I'll take her," Daryl volunteered, stepping forward. "I'll get her there. I'll keep her safe." He promised. "I got this."

"Let me say goodbye," Carl muttered and Parker helped him sit up while Rick crouched down with Judith. She looked at him and Carl chuckled. "You be good, okay? For Michonne. For dad. You gotta honor him. Listen when he tells you stuff. You don't have to always. Sometimes, kids have to show their parents the way." Carl took his hat off and passed it to his little sister. "This was Dad's before it was mine. Now it's yours. I don't know, just... just having it... it always kept Dad with me. It made me feel as strong as him. It helped me. Maybe it'll help you too." Carl sighed again, trying to keep himself from crying in front of her. "Before Mom died... she told me that I was going to beat this world. I didn't. But you will. I know you will." Judith reached for Carl and began to cry as Rick handed her to Daryl. Parker looked up and her eyes landed on him.

"These people. You saved them all." Daryl said to Carl proudly. "That's all you, man." Parker sobbed as he looked down at her, silently asking if she was leaving.

"I have to stay. I can't... I can't leave him. I'll meet you at Hilltop, okay? I'll meet you there. I promise." Daryl sighed but reluctantly, he nodded.

"You sure you don't want me to stay?"

"No," Parker shook her head. "You need to bring those people there. And Judith. I'll be there soon, okay?" Daryl kissed her forehead, hugging her.

"Be careful." And then he left. Parker sobbed and felt Rick's hand on her back, turning to her brother with tears in her eyes. Siddiq knelt next to Carl.

"You were helping me honor my mother."

"Not just yours," Carl told him. "Mine too."

"You brought me here," Siddiq continued shakily. "You gave me a chance. I know I can never repay you... but I can honor you. By showing your people, your f-friends, your... your family... that what you did wasn't for nothing. That it mattered. That it... that it meant something. Because it did. So that's what I'm gonna do." Carl smiled and raised his hand towards Siddiq, who took it. "I'm gonna honor you, Carl."

"Congratulations. You're stuck with us." Siddiq let out a sigh before standing up, looking at Rick and Michonne before nodding to Parker. He headed down the tunnel, towards the exit. Once he was gone, Parker knelt next to Carl again, holding his hand in hers.

"I remember the day you were born," Parker said, laughing at the memory. "Your mom started having contractions while your dad was at work, and it was my job to take her to the hospital, but my car wouldn't start. We ended up taking the bus and the driver had to drive us to the hospital. He was probably more stressed than we were. I called your dad on the way, and he and Shane had the lights on all the way to the hospital. Do you remember that?" She looked over to her brother.

"I've never been so worried," Rick said with a small laugh.

"And then you were born," Parker looked back at Carl. "And I was the third person to hold you. I knew.. from the moment I looked into your eyes, that I would die for you. I would do absolutely anything for you, and now...now I can't keep that promise. I can't take this away and make it all stop, and I... I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Carl reassured her, squeezing her hand. "I don't want you to be sad after this. Or angry. You have to be strong. For my dad. For Judith. For you."

"I'll try," Parker told him, nodding her head.

"Same to you, Michonne," Carl's eye searched until he found her. "Don't carry this. Not this part. You're my best friend, Michonne."

"You're mine too," Michonne told him, wiping the tear from his face. "You're mine."

"And you are the best aunt I could have asked for," Carl said to Parker.

"And you are the best nephew I could ask for," She said back, smiling at him. "Never forget that." The last candle went out and the tunnel fell into darkness. Rick's voice spoke through the silent darkness.

"I need your help."

"With what?" Michonne asked what she and Parker were both thinking.

"With getting him out of here."

Authors Note:

Yeah... so, I never did say it was gonna be a happy gift.
I've never been really good with giving gifts :)